nonessentials

nonessentials — 形容詞

1. describing something that you can do without — it adds little or no value to a t

1.形容詞C1
釋義

非必要的

可省略，少了也不影響運作的

describing something that you can do without — it adds little or no value to a task, plan, or situation, so removing it would not cause harm.

例句

Manuela cut every nonessential item from the family budget after her hours were reduced.

Manuela 在工時被砍之後，把家裡預算中每一項非必要的開銷都刪掉了。

attributive: nonessential + noun (budget item)

During the storm, the hospital postponed all nonessential surgeries until the power was stable.

暴風雨期間，醫院把所有非必要的手術都延後，直到電力穩定為止。

common collocation: nonessential surgeries / procedures / appointments

同義詞
  • inessential

    more formal; almost identical in meaning but rarer in everyday speech

  • unnecessary

    wider scope — includes things that are unwanted, not just things you can do without

  • dispensable

    emphasises that the thing can be removed without loss; often used of staff, equipment, or details

  • superfluous

    formal; suggests the thing is more than is needed, often in writing or argument

反義詞
  • essential

    the direct opposite — something you cannot do without

  • vital

    stronger — essential for life, safety, or success

  • indispensable

    emphasises that the thing or person cannot be replaced

文法句型

nonessential + noun

be nonessential

用法筆記

Frequently attributive in fixed collocations such as 'nonessential services / travel / spending / surgeries', often in news and policy contexts. As a predicative ('this is nonessential'), it usually carries an implicit judgement that the thing should be cut or postponed.

常見錯誤

❌Sleep is nonessential for students.
✅Sleep is not essential
💡students cannot do without it.' — 'nonessential' implies the thing can be safely removed; do not use it for things that are actually necessary.
❌I felt nonessential at the meeting.
✅I felt unimportant at the meeting.
💡'nonessential' describes tasks, items, or services, not how a person feels about themselves.

2. in biology and nutrition, describing a nutrient — usually an amino acid or fatty

2.形容詞C2
釋義

非必需的

身體可自行合成、不需從食物攝取的

in biology and nutrition, describing a nutrient — usually an amino acid or fatty acid — that the human body can build for itself in large enough amounts, so it does not have to come from food.

例句

Glutamine is a nonessential amino acid that the liver produces during normal digestion.

麩醯胺酸是一種非必需胺基酸，肝臟在正常消化過程中就會自行製造。

core collocation: nonessential amino acid

The textbook explained that nonessential nutrients can be skipped in a healthy adult's daily diet.

課本上說，對健康的成年人而言，非必需的營養素就算每天沒攝取也沒關係。

attributive: nonessential + nutrient

同義詞
  • dispensable

    used in biochemistry as a near-synonym for 'nonessential' when describing amino acids

反義詞
  • essential

    the matching technical term — must be obtained from the diet

文法句型

nonessential + amino acid / nutrient / fatty acid

用法筆記

Only used attributively before a biology term (amino acid, fatty acid, nutrient). Distinguish from sense 1: here 'nonessential' is a neutral biochemical category, not a judgement about value. The body still uses these substances — the label just means food intake is not required.

常見錯誤

❌Vitamin C is nonessential.
✅Vitamin C is essential
💡the body cannot make it.' — students often confuse the two; the human body cannot synthesise vitamin C, so it is essential, not nonessential.